Romulus

When I gazed upon what I had built,
          the cities I razed and the blood I spilt,
I did not feel shame. I did not feel guilt.

No, I did not take pride in fratricide –
          it was merely a necessary step
to win the stubborn people to my side.

When my brother tried to defy the wolf
          hiding inside, I silenced him and blamed
my crime on the very same tribe who came

to my aid. Now, placed above the city
          in the morning haze of pink-tinted smog,
I play God, or at least a lesser god.